When it comes to meeting people, sometimes online personal ads are the easiest and fastest way to go. Dating and hooking up can be stressful and it isn’t always easy to find someone with the same interests and relationship goals that you have.
For instance, are you looking for something long-term or a friends-with-benefits situation? Maybe you’re already in a relationship and looking for that special third person to spice things up.
No matter what you’re looking for, it’s far easier to say these things online than it is in person.
If you haven’t heard of Doublelist (doublelist.com), it’s an online personals website designed for individuals that want to connect in various ways. Learn more about Doublelist in this review and discover similar sites and alternative dating services that allow you to meet people online.
What Is Doublelist? How It Works
Recently, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to help stop sex trafficking called the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (FOSTA). It was meant to hold websites accountable for users that would misuse online personal ads. As a result, Craigslist had to shut down their personals section, leaving many people searching for an alternative way to meet and hook up online.
Enter Doublelist, an online personals service and Craigslist replacement where users can post ads and look for like-minded individuals. On their website, they stress that Doublelist is first and foremost a safe way to explore your sexual side. You can also post ads if you’re looking for a date or even a platonic relationship.
Since Doublelist is somewhat new, you may not know much about it or maybe you’re hesitant to try it. Keep reading for our Doublelist review and to learn more about this new service. Find out if it’s right for you and what alternatives are out there.
Doublelist.com Personals and Main Features
When you create an account on Doublelist.com, you can see other members’ personal ads. You can also post your own Doublelist personals, and see a list of your ads from your account.
Start by selecting your city or the nearest city to you. You can select “Connect Now” or “Let’s Date” as of right now. There are also other features coming soon like the “Sexual Education” section that allows users to learn more about sexual safety.
Each section may have a mixture of ads and advice posted by users.
Chatting with Other Members
When you find an ad that interests you, click on it. Doublelist ads usually have tags on the bottom declaring what the user is looking for or into. There is also a way to reach out to the user directly through the website.
Finding a Date in Your City
It’s easy to find local dates in your area because all Doublelist classifieds are filtered by the city. For instance, if you live in New York you would select that area. From there, you’ll see ads from users in nearby areas such as Brooklyn or Manhattan.
You can also post your own ad if you want people to message you and meet up at your place (or nearby).
Pros and Cons of Doublelist
Now that you know more about Doublelist, you might want to weigh the pros and cons of using their site. Doublelist is a great alternative to Craigslist, but is Doublelist safe and is it right for you?
Pros
First off, the Doublelist website is easy to navigate and use. It keeps things simple, which can be a bonus for people that don’t like complicated websites with unnecessary features. Creating your own ad and searching other personals is a straight-forward process.
Doublelist caters to people of all genders and all sexual preferences. Whether you’re a man seeking a woman, a woman seeking a woman, couples seeking couples or just about anything else you can find what you’re looking for.
Doublelist requires users to put in their phone number to reduce spam on the site. You also must have an account to look at and create posts.
The site stresses that they want to create a safe environment and there is a no-tolerance policy for illegal activity. Only adults aged 18 or older are allowed to use the site. Any posts that are unlawful in any way or harmful to minors are taken down and the user of said post is banned.
Cons
As with any online personal ads service, there will be spam and scammers. The site tries to combat these problems by allowing users to report illegal or suspicious posts. They also require users to make an account and use a phone number when signing up, reducing some of the spam.
Since the site is fairly new, smaller cities may not have their own section. You may have to travel farther to meet people. Presumably, the site will add more cities and areas as time goes on.
To use the site, you must be a legal adult (18+ or 21+ depending on your area.) Unfortunately, there is no way to verify a user’s age and make sure.
And while Doublelist does work hard to promote a safe environment, they do not conduct screenings on their users. This means it’s up to you to protect yourself and play it safe.
Doublelist Alternatives
So what other websites like Doublelist are out there and why should you use them?
Maybe you don’t want to be geographically limited or you want to reach as many people as possible to increase your chances. If so, it would benefit you to sign up with a few other personals sites as well.
And if you’d rather see photos of the users you talk to or you want a more serious relationship, you might want to consider a dating site instead. It all depends on your preferences, so read on to discover the best sites like Doublelist.
DoULike
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DoULike is a dating site for singles looking for local matches. It caters to adults of all ages, including seniors.
When you create a profile, you can filter users by your preferred location, so finding a local date is easy. Simply browse profiles and click the heart button if you’re interested in someone. If they like you back, you have a match.
The site focuses more on messaging and communication over questionnaires, so you don’t have to spend a long time filling out questions. Plus, 80 percent of the profiles on the site are verified so there are fewer scammers and fake profiles floating around.
Adult Friend Finder
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Similar to Doublelist, Adult Friend Finder is a site for adults posting personal ads. This site focuses more on users that are looking for casual sex or relationships without strings attached.
Many old users of the Craigslist personals section moved to Adult Friend Finder after it closed down.
The site also deals in adult entertainment and has a huge member base. It has features like cam-to-cam video chats, forums, and personal blogs to explore.
Although labeled as a dating site, Adult Friend Finder is more about casual hookups either online or in person. It also doesn’t have a data-driven matching system so it can be somewhat tough to filter matches.
Passion.com
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The slogan for Passion.com is “Sexy Personals for Passionate Singles”, which says a lot about what they offer. This is a personals site, not exactly a dating site, and the target user base is people looking for casual hookups.
There are both free and paid options on the site. It has features for users that want to hook up in person or online via a cyber medium like chat or webcam.
The site boasts over 100,000 members and over 150,000 unique user-uploaded pictures. Unlike some sites that restrict what you can and cannot show in your pictures, Passion is all about showing off. Because of the adult content, only those 18+ or older can create accounts.
Ashley Madison
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Unlike dating sites that cater to singles looking for singles, Ashley Madison’s target audience is people that are married or in relationships. The site offers a way for unhappy couples to find passion again, both men and women alike.
Their slogan is “Life is short. Have an affair.’’
Pictures and messages can be as innocent or as naughty as you want them to be. Because physical attraction is so important on this site, sexy photos are encouraged. And for those worried about getting caught, there are also privacy options you can select for more discretion.
The site is definitely more for those looking for a thrill or a short-term relationship versus a long-term fling. And most users are looking for intimacy and sexual encounters more than dates.
Locanto
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Locanto is a Doublelist alternative that’s been around as long as Craigslist. It’s another personals site for people looking for dates or casual encounters. Again, you search by city so you can easily find people in your area.
There are different categories to choose from depending on what you’re looking for (men looking for women, fetish, etc.)
Ads show you the user’s location and also include other information like their age and what they’re looking for. You can also include a photo in your ad, so you can see who you’re messaging before you click send.
Bedpage
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Bedpage is very similar to Craigslist and acts much the same as Doublelist. One plus is the verification process, which although time-consuming does reduce fake profiles. It also discourages users involved in illegal activity from using the site.
Bedpage markets itself as the new Backpage, a classified ads site popular for its escort services.
It features a lot of cities from all over the world so it’s easy to find an area close to you. All listings have to be verified before being posted, reducing the chances of spam or fake ads. It’s free to post on the site, but users do have to pay a small fee before ads go live.
Make Connections Online with These Dating and Personal Ads Websites
Personal ads and dating websites are convenient and easy ways to meet people online. Depending on what you’re looking for, there’s bound to be a dating site for your needs.
While still growing and adding to its list of features, Doublelist is a viable alternative to the old Craigslist personals. It also has sections for dating and long-term relationships if you’re looking for something more meaningful.
Online personals are more ad-based with posts being shorter. Dating websites are profile and message-based, meaning you have more room to describe what you’re looking for and more about you. Whether you’re looking for a short intimate encounter or a long-term relationship, there’s something on this list for everyone.
So give Doublelist a try, and if you want to reach out to even more people consider trying these popular alternatives as well.